How to gather

Figure 1

Gathering stitches are useful for so many things: adding fullness to necklines, skirts, apron, and sleeves. Gathering fabric can also add charm to bags, purses, pincushions, baskets, and pillows. It’s a super-easy way to manipulate fabric.

1. Set your machine to its machine-baste setting.

2. Take a 5/8-inch or 1/2-inch machine-baste stitch on a single layer of fabric. Or, take your stitch wherever you want the fullness (such as lines of gathering stitches on a pillow front, or on a bodice below the bustline). Leave the thread ends long.

3. For insurance, you can take another machine-baste stitch at 3/8-inch (that way if the thread breaks while gathering, you’re covered).

4. Gently, start to tug at the top thread. The fabric immediately begins to pucker. Thread is pretty strong, but don’t yank it. Keep pulling the thread (you can alternate on both ends) until the gathers are evenly adjusted. (Figure 1)

5. If you’re attaching your gathered fabric to another piece of fabric, then the gathers will be secured in the seam. If you’re not attaching it to anything, then you’ll need to stitch over your original gathering stitch with a regular stitch to secure (otherwise the gathers will keep sliding around).